Carrick said: “The fee, or what people said about the size of it, never bothered me. You come to a club like this and people will ask questions about different things like transfer fees, but it certainly wasn’t a burden.
“Hopefully winning the league shuts a few of them up.
“I am very happy with my first season. I have played over 50 games, got to the semi-final of the Champions League, won the league and have got to the FA Cup final. It is something special.
“The Champions League turned out a disappointment in the end but we have shown what we can do and hopefully we will come back next season and do even more.
“I had no concerns whatsoever when I joined United last summer because I was coming to the biggest club in the land.
“Playing with the players I was playing with was an experience in itself so I just wanted to make the most of it and improve as a player.
“I think as the season has gone on I have got better and better. That’s all you can hope for. Winning games the way we have and playing the football we have has been so enjoyable. It has been my best season by far.
“I didn’t set out looking at a certain number of games I just wanted to play. I just wanted to get into the team to start with and establish myself as much as I could.
“The longer the season goes the more you realise you are part of the team.
“Playing with the kind of players I have had alongside me and playing the football we have done, makes you play better and makes you more confident. I think my consistency has improved; I am a relaxed and laid back player so initially I wasn’t going to come in and be in your face. I was just trying to fit in and find my space in the team and get to know the lads’ games.
“The longer that went on the more I gelled. I think Scholesy and me formed a good partnership and we complement each other.
“The longer the season went on the more influence I have had. I started to take on more responsibility as I bedded in and felt comfortable. I enjoyed that. The bigger the games you have to step up and thankfully in the big games I played pretty well.”
